The invention relates generally to chew toys for pets and more particularly to a chew toy having a therapeutic effect on a dog's teeth and gums.
Various products exist in the market which are intended to clean a pet's teeth as the pet chews the product, or to satisfy a pet's chewing urge. Most of the chew toys available are formed of one type of material, which is usually either too hard and exposes the dog's mouth to undesirably hard or sharp products, or too soft and is not sufficiently durable.
Another type of chew toy available is a toy formed of two materials of different hardness and rigidities as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,741 (hereinafter the '741 patent). The chew toy disclosed in the '741 patent can also encompass another desired feature of pet chew toys, which is a scent or flavor that will not come off on the hands of the person handling the toy. A scented insert is placed within the chew toy, which allows the scent to emanate out of the chew toy, rather than adding a scent to the surface of the chew toy.
Certain embodiments of this chew toy, however, can have undesirable attributes. For example, with adequate force, the chew portions can be pulled out from the shell of the toy. Due to the design of the securing member, they can be difficult to reinsert. Also, the manufacture of the '741 chew toy can be difficult, and a simpler means of manufacturing the chew toy is desirable.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a synthetic chew toy for a pet, such as a dog, which overcomes the shortcomings of existing chew toys.